Superfloater

A very very basic glider.

While at Wallaby Ranch (www.wallaby.com) to learn how to hangglide i
saw the work of Mick Robson. He was busy restoring a Superfloater.
I have seen very little info about this basic glider on the
internet and ...it deserves to have more respect. So here is the
page to honour the Superfloater and ...the modifications by Mick
Robson.

Lets view this remarkable glider area by area. Lets see what
great ideas were involved into this very basic glider.

Cockpit

If you look at it, you will see it is not much of a cockpit. It
has just what you need. A seat, a stick and pedals, harness, tow
release and ...a trim devise. The latter is really a luxury.
:)

Structure

Mick was busy covering a second Superfloater, so i had the luck
of seeing how the fuselage structure was build. Again ...very
basic.

Landing gear

There is very little to tell you about it because it is so
basic. Just a skid in the front with a wheel just behind it and a
tiny wheel on the rear just in front of the rudder. The rear wheel
does not rotate with the rudder movements. It is installed on the
fixed tail part.

Flight controls

You have seen already one picture of the stick. Ok, that tube
that rotates goes inside the fuselage, where it is having a level
which pushes a rod upwards. That rod pushes a lever which is
installed just next to the central tube between the wings. That
lever rotates a plate which pulls two cables which are connected to
the aileron. It sounds difficult, but it is rather easy.

I need to tell that the wing covering and the ailerons are a
modification of Mick Robson. The original wing had a sock puled
over the wingstructure. Some part at the rear of the wing structure
changed the shape of the sock upwards or downwards. But ...it was
known to create deformations in the sock. It made the sock floppy
at higher speeds. Mick changed that by covering the wing with a
fixed fabric and using more rigid aileron. Nice thinking, Mick.

Tow release

Another clever design. The tow line hook goes into a rope which
holds a rope which holds a rope. The tiny rope at the end is being
hold in place by a metal pin which can be pulled back by the nearly
invisible handle. OK, now go back upwards to the first picture of
the cockpit and try to find that handle before you scroll downwards
here.

Testflight

Mick saw my enthousiasm about this glider and made it possible
to see it having its first testflights. It were car tows. Awesome
to see that old glider do so good. Great work, Mick.